Am I the only person who can't stand the Dual Shock?

A lot of the time I feel like the only person in the world who thinks the Dual Shock isn't a good controller. It's not terrible by any means, but I don't find it very comfortable, I hate the analog sticks and their position, and the triggers are the worst thing in the world. Sony hasn't drastically changed the design of their controllers since 1998, and I think it shows. Imagine if Nintendo had stuck to the Nintendo 64 controller with the GameCube and just thrown a second analog stick onto it. It's easy to look back negatively on the Nintendo 64 controller, but I think people wouldn't be nearly as positive on the PS1's controller if Sony had ditched/heavily redesigned it for the PS2. I vastly prefer the Xbox 360 controller in every aspect except the D-Pad, which is better on PS3 but still isn't great there. As a result the 360 has been my console of choice this generation, even though over the past couple years Sony has really started to outshine Microsoft in terms of what their platform offers as a whole.

With the next generation of consoles around the corner a lot of people are looking to "switch sides", and I would love to switch to the PlayStation 4 over whatever Microsoft puts out next, but a huge factor is if Sony finally ditches the controller design they've been hanging on to since 1998. Does anyone else feel the same way about that controller, or am I the only person who feels this way?

The 360 controller just seems to perfectly fit my hands and having both thumbs naturally rest on analogue sticks seems much more in tune with how games are designed. I don't have anything against the DualShock, but if I had to choose, the 360 pad wins easily.

Nah, I have a friend with small hands who doesn't like the Dual Shock, but finds the 360 controller just fine.

There aren't many controllers I explicitly don't like (N64 and Dreamcast spring to mind), but preference between the 360 controller and the Dual Shock largely depends on what sort of game I'm playing on it. I find the 360 pad better for shooters, but I think we're all in agreement that the d-pad sucks, so for games that require precise digital input (fighting games being the most obvious) I'd rather use the PS3 controller.

I prefer the 360 controller much more too. I totally agree with the shoulder buttons not being that good on the PS3 (the R2 and L2 are really spongy) while the RT and LT on the 360 is much more precise. I also think that the sticks itself on the PS3 don't have much grip and seem kinda slippery compared to the 360 controller. I will give the better d-pad to the PS3 although the new 360 controller's d-pad is a big improvement to the original 360 controller. 360 is probably my favorite controller design.

The DualShock 3 definitely felt like a step backwards for Sony. The sticks have always felt a little strange to me and I, like most people, hate that there are no trigger guards on the back. It's a perfectly serviceable controller, though. Could be far worse.

The only thing I dislike is the triggers on the back. They don't feel comfortable at times and shooting with them in games is always a bad idea. I prefer the 360 controller, but the Dualshock ain't bad.

Nope. The triggers feel flimsy and are way too sensitive, the analog sticks don't have thumb indentations or any kind of texturing and the damn thing is so tiny that it cramps my hands after like an hour of use. Not a fan at all.

The 360 Controller is clunky and in my opinion not well designed. The analog stick and D-Pad placements bother me, and I find my thumbs slipping off of the analog sticks often. I've never had a problem with the DualShock controllers. Everything about them is perfect, yes, even the triggers.

I feel like if you replaced the Xbox 360 d-pad with the PS3 d-pad, you'd have the perfect controller.

I hate, fucking HATE, the triggers on the PS3. They are the worst. And game developers even know they suck, which is why most first person shooters you see on the PS3 use the bumpers for weapon fire instead of the actual triggers. Because they're terrible, and uncomfortable.

I've always hated the Playstation controller. I dealt with it for PS2, and it was marginally better than the X-Box one of the time (black and white buttons blah), but I find the 360 one has achieved perfection so it just makes me hate the Playstation one more.

I prefer the 360 controller, but there is no doubt about it that it has the absolute worst D-Pad of any controller. The only thing I don't like on the Dual Shock is the resistance of the analog sticks. They are far too loose, which makes games like shooters especially uncomfortable. It's like playing a PC shooter with your mouse sensitivity 50% higher than you like.

The one thing you like on the PS3 controller is the one thing I hate. Terrible D-pad.

I don't like the PS3 D-Pad, I just prefer it to the 360 one when it comes to actually using it for movement. The PS3 D-Pad is pretty terrible though, the shape and the way it's all just one big piece of plastic that pokes out of holes in the controller just makes it feel awful. Nintendo is the only company that makes D-Pads worth a shit. The transforming D-Pad on special 360 controllers is pretty good, but since it requires buying a special controller I didn't count it as part of the 360 controller.

This , is great when you don't have tiny or giant hands (not that I think that matters) hell even holding a PSP is fine.

I have fairly large hands but I'm still fine with either. I tend to flip between what console is my "it" console so it may be months between when I turn the other console on sometimes. Going back to the other controller can feel weird at first but after use for awhile I get used to it again.

I prefer the Dual Shock. The only thing I would change is turning L2/R2 in to actual triggers.

I got those add on triggers. They kept falling off so I super glued them on and it is awesome.

I think it is more what you got used to. People always complain that the left analog stick is in the wrong place on the Dualshock but would the right analog stick be in the wrong place on the 360 controller? The thumbs colliding thing never happens to me. Do people use their palms on the stick?

whenever I try using a 360 controller everything feels poorly placed and not as tactile as other controllers I've had over the years. There are problems with the Dualshock too but if I had to choose I'd grab that one.

Triggers on the Dualshock definitely benefit from the add-ons you can buy.

The thing about controllers is that they really are a product of their time and work for the system they were created for. So I agree with your sentiment that that design of the PS controller shows its age by not having changed. The N64 controller worked for that system, the games worked fine in a time when dual stick shooters were not around. Hell, I think it is the best controller ever made for wrestling games.

The PS controller is not made for today's shooters, that is the biggest issue and the two, "triggers" or whatever they are, suck ass for anything. They are not good to press for any purpose. The one feature I love is the analog buttons, the pressure sensitive nature of the PS controllers since the PS2. Though I only really used that in MGS2.

I think controller standards have changed drastically ever since the advent of this generation. With the flooding of first-person shooters, and cover-based third person shooters, the Xbox 360 controller just feels more natural with having my left hand higher on the controller where the analog stick is, and the right being lower on the controller. I've also gotten used to the way the bumpers and triggers feel, and since I think the Xbox 360 is the standard for a ton of first-person shooter players, the layout of that controller feels most natural to them, too. I think if Sony's next Dual Shock allowed the switching of the left analog stick and directional pad, I might feel okay about the controller, and it may not be as jarring for me. Also, as others have mentioned, I'm not a huge fan of the triggers. I like Microsoft's controller triggers because they're still buttons and you still get feedback. I feel like I don't get much feedback with the Dual Shock 3's triggers. I just kind of push all the way down.

I prefer it incredibly more than the 360 controller. but here is the controller I would make if I were to make one:

Bottom Triggers of the 360.

Top back triggers of the Ps3 controller.

Face buttons the size of the Dualshock ones, with the the spread and roll-ability-of-the-thumb like the PSP but the rigidity of the 3DS buttons.

Analogue sticks from the Wii Classic Controller Pro (but with the ability to press in like the RL/3 buttons on the Dualshock).

PSP arrow buttons (they are like the Dualshocks but they stick out more) but with the click/response of the 3DS arrows.

Size and basic controller shape like the Classic Controller Pro.

Middle button like the Dualshocks but with the two buttons either side of it like the 360's Start and Back buttons.

I'd be on board with an idea like that.

The only addition I'd make is to have the entire thing, or at least parts which have the most contact with your palm, covered in some form of rubber/soft silicone coating to help ease the "slippery" feel after long term use and to maybe add a bit of "bump" protection if you get a bit rough with the controller.

Kind of how iPhones have some "bumper" covers to give you more grip and off set possible damage if you drop it and what not.